Wraxall, UK - Three young owls are set to become a hit with visitors to Noah’s Ark Zoo Farm in Wraxall, as they begin flight training which will see the feathered friends feature in daily flying displays, educating the public about important birds of prey.
‘Snuffleupagus’, a lively African Spotted Eagle Owl, and
‘Bertie’ the Barn Owl, were hand-reared by dedicated keepers at Noah’s Ark, along with ‘Big Bird’, an American Burrowing Owl. Much to the joy of staff and visitors; the unusual threesome quickly became a close feathered family and now begin their flight training with their surrogate ‘Dad’, Head Keeper Chris Wilkinson.
Now 5 months old, Snuffy and Bertie will be taught to fly on vocal commands from keepers, taking food from perches and posts in the zoos popular Animal Show.
‘Big Bird’, the cheeky little burrowing owl, will demonstrate his natural ground-foraging behaviour outside in the outdoor Birds of Prey display. All will help teach visitors about special adaptations of different birds of prey.
With much previous experience of hand-rearing owls and running the flight displays, Chris Wilkinson says “Owls are highly specialised for hunting prey and very popular with visitors here at Noah’s Ark. I’m currently training Snuffy and Bertie to recognise their names and follow some simple vocal cues so they will be comfortable flying in the daily Animal Show. This is a great educational show, and our birds are very well looked after here.â€
Owl flying displays are one of several daily educational events used at the zoo to help teach visitors about the biology, ecology and behaviour of certain species; with the aim of fostering interest in the natural world and important conservation issues.
Noah’s Ark Zoo Farm can be found just outside of Bristol and only minutes from the M5 motorway, open Monday – Saturday 10:30am – 5:00pm.
There are now over 100 sorts of mammals, birds, reptiles, amphibians and invertebrates at Noah’s Ark, including several important species classified as ‘endangered’ to ‘vulnerable’ on the IUCN Red List. These include Cotton Topped Tamarins (Critically Endangered), White Rhinos (Near Threatened), Brazilian Tapirs (Vulnerable) and Siamang Gibbons (Endangered).
The African Spotted Eagle Owl (Bubo africanus) is one of the smallest of the Eagle Owls and is also named on the IUCN Red List, categorized as a species of ‘Least Concern’. An important bird of prey but at lower risk of serious population decline.
The Barn Owl, Tyto alba, is well known for its hooting call and for its silent flight when seen but not heard during summer evenings in the UK. Barn Owls are recognized as an important species in terms of conservation, even though they are widely distributed, geographically, around the world.
Burrowing Owls are one of only a few species of bird which nest and roost in holes in the ground. The breeding season begins in March/April in North America. The female will lay a clutch of eggs (usually 4-12) and incubate them for 3-4 weeks. Upon hatching, both parents will tend the chicks for about 4 weeks in the subterranean nest.
Noah’s Ark Zoo Farm has been running owl and hawk flying displays for its visitors since 2005. Using a series of posts and perches around a public arena, either inside or outside, vocally-trained owls and hawks fly on the call of a keeper to feeding stations, providing the basis for fun, informative talks on adaptations in birds of prey.
Noah’s Ark Zoo Farm attracts over 130,000 visitors each year and can be found just 6 miles outside of Bristol, towards Clevedon. Started in 1999, animals include lions, giraffe, zebras, rhinos, tigers, gibbons, camels and 100 other types. As well as the longest hedge maze in the world, visitors can enjoy huge indoor and outdoor adventure playgrounds. For more details see our website:
www.noahsarkzoofarm.co.uk 
